Residents of the Port Vell neighbourhood in Barcelona are upset at plans by Mayfair based British firm Salamanca Group to build a luxury marina for the mega rich.
As Roman Abramovich’s super yacht, the largest in the world is shadowing all other luxury yachts in Barcelona’s old port, the neighbour’s are kicking up quite a fuss. it’s not the first time the Russian Billionaire’s yacht has been to Barcelona and it’s here because his beloved Chelsea face home side FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi final at the Nou Camp.
This spectacle is precisely what the folks in this area of Barcelona fear will become the norm. Areas like the Barceloneta, which is a traditional fishing neighbourhood and one of the few that has retained its working class character are under threat.
A British private investment fund has taken control of much of the port area and has asked for an extended license so that it can turn the Marina Port Vell into the Mediterranean’s prime home for superyachts. Sources close to the group said it wanted the license to run until 2036.
The Mayfair-based Salamanca Group intends to make the marina home to yachts up to 180 metres long, bringing the planet’s growing club of mega-rich to a marina that it says “dominates the heart of Barcelona”.
“I’ve lived here all my life and the barrio has a special identity, precisely because so many working-class people have always lived here,” said 68-year-old pensioner Antonio García, of the L’Ostia neighbourhood group. “But this will price us out, turning the port into a place only for the very rich and changing things for ever.”
“This will make it even more touristy and will see us expelled from our own barrio. We want it as it has always been, a real community of working-class people with roots right here,” said García.
I don’t know how much weight the neighbours will have against a project like this and Barcelona, who is trying to shake off it’s image for rowdy drunken louts, prostitution and muggings, might not listen too much to the locals, opting instead to smarten up the area with the luxury marina. The Chelsea owner is rumoured to be a shareholder in a Barcelona refit and repair yard, MB92, that lies beside the marina and also plans to expand its facilities for superyachts.
The marina is not the only development planned for the Catalan capital as both Barcelona and Madrid are going head to head for the EuroVegas project from American Billionaire Sheldon Adelson. He wants to build a huge complex of hotels, casinos and conference centres.